The present invention relates to tools used to remotely manipulate vehicle, enclosure or building access where there is a potentially dangerous or hazardous situation.
When trying to open doors, cabinets, drawers or other panels in a potentially dangerous or hazardous environment, there is a requirement to quickly and remotely manipulate these items to safely pull them open from a safe distance. The same requirement arises when attempting to clear and declare safe a potentially booby-trapped vehicle or when removing a suspect package from an office or vehicle via length of rope.
Presently, a bomb technician, or other law enforcement officer, must improvise some device for this purpose. The devices are commonly improvised using already existing and readily available items such as vice-grips, rope, duct tape and hooks, which need to be configured and adapted according to each unique situation.
Many times these panels are also latched in some manner, requiring that the latch be manually released prior to opening the panel.
Disclosed is a remotely operable latched panel opening mechanism designed to both release a latch on a panel and open the panel after the latch has been released.
According to one aspect, the remotely operable latched panel opening mechanism for potentially booby-trapped latch panels comprises a clamp member for clampable engagement with a structure on said panel, and a displaceable actuator mounted on said clamp member. The displaceable actuator has a protruding element engageable with a latch on said latched panel and a coupling element for connection to a line to permit remote activation of said actuator to release said latch and thereby permit said latched panel to be opened by remotely pulling on said clamp member. The panel may be a door, a drawer, a car hood or any other such barrier means. The line may be a rope, cable chain or the likes, serving as a pulling means.
These clamps mainly consist of two arms, each having a jaw end and a handle end. The two members are pivotably joined by means to maintain the clamp in the closed position when released. Further, one of the members of these clamps has a passage for an adjustable blocking element, which abuts on the other member. The jaw ends of the clamp can have different teeth configurations to allow clamping engagement with the structure to be remotely manipulated.
The displaceable actuator allows a latch to be remotely released in a separate action from using the clamp to open the panel. The displaceable actuator includes pivoting and sliding adjusting mechanisms for adaptation to particular situations.
In another embodiment, there is provided a method of opening potentially booby-trapped latched panels using a remotely operable opening mechanism comprising a clamp member and a displaceable actuator mounted on said clamp member, said displaceable actuator having a protruding element and a coupling element, the method comprising the steps of clamping the clamp member with a structure on the panel, engaging the protruding element with a latch on the panel, and connecting the coupling element to a line to permit remote activation of said actuator to release said latch and thereby permit said latched panel to be opened by remotely pulling on said clamp member.
In another embodiment, there is provided a kit of remotely opening latched panels, comprising a clamp member for clampable engagement with a structure on said panel, and a displaceable actuator mounted on said clamp member, said displaceable actuator having a protruding element engageable with a latch on said latched panel and a coupling element for connection to a line to permit remote activation of said actuator to release said latch and thereby permit said latched panel to be opened by remotely pulling on said clamp member.
The mechanism allows law enforcement officers to release and open potentially booby-trapped panels.
Other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon a review of the following description.